The 2011 Safety Expo is now history. The seventh annual event registered just over 800 attendees representing a multitude of industry segments. More than 100 sessions were offered with a variety of attendees taking advantage of three days of training from city and county municipalities; state agencies, departments of public works, agriculture, workforce development organizations, and from as far away as Florida and Pennsylvania. Not bad for a sluggish and negative economy, particularly in this state and in this region. Employers are to be commended for their support in providing their people with the necessary training and education opportunities this event provides. While the economy remains flat, employers continue to struggle with a multitude of challenges. Fewer orders and sales, coupled with fierce competition continue driving down margins and profits. As sales are at record lows, employers are being forced to cut staff and overhead. Regardless of the less-than-stellar health of the economy, employers understand the importance of employee training, while looking for ways to balance operational costs, including training costs – employers are forced to stretch their training dollars. They also have to continue remaining in compliance under the ever watchful eye of OSHA and other regulatory agencies. No matter how negative and grim the economic outlook is, there is a positive spin – when it comes to education and training platforms more employers have turned to the Expo event.

With unemployment for the construction industry in the Greater Sacramento region reaching double digits, organizations and companies are tasked with doing more with less in both private industry and other sectors. Government, municipalities and public works agencies are functioning on the barest of budgets, with many entities having virtually no budgets at all. This significant and vital education and training event has proven year after year its worth in providing quality education for a fraction of the cost of other training programs. Both construction and general industry have turned to the annual Safety Expo as their training vehicle of choice in order to full-fill the requirements for safety training and compliance certification. As more and more employers continue to struggle with the negative effects of this less-than-stellar financial forecast—employers are constantly in search of value in committing towards on-going education and training to meet their needs. For seven years the Safety Expo has met and in some cases exceeded their expectations by providing an affordable platform for employers and employees alike to take advantage of this educational conference.

The numbers really do tell an interesting story about the history of this event and of those that have supported the Expo since its inaugural kick-off in 2005. More than 7,000 attendees representing 900 plus companies and organizations have participated in workshops and classes in compliance certification, general safety and management sessions – many have returned year after year.

In 2011, the largest percentages of session participation were the compliance and equipment certification courses. Several employers send their workforce to attend the many CPR sessions offered by Rescue Training over the three-day period – there were six four-hour first aid classes offered during the three-day conference; a 30-person capacity for each of the sessions enable attendees to participate in several other sessions. Some employers will send several of their employees to just one single session. OSHA 10 classes are maxed-out at 50 people and reached their full capacities. For 2010 and 2011, the demand was so great that it warranted offering two OSHA 10 classes – we were very fortunate that both Mark Aniello, with ECR, Inc. and Robert Downey with RED Consulting provided instruction for attendees to receive OSHA 10 cards. Sunbelt Equipment Rentals trains and certifies attendees on several pieces of equipment – more than 100 people were certified in 2011. Is it no wonder when attendees register at the base fee, it’s still extremely cost-effective to pay the minimal add-on fees for equipment certification? Based on time and scheduling, many attendees were able to take advantage of certifying on additional pieces of equipment for a fraction of the cost. Sunbelt’s instructors always provides top-notch trainers and staffing to move attendees through the hands-on portion of the training in a succinct and professional manner. Every year, just when you think that attendees may have over-dosed on general safety sessions, this track actually does extremely well in attendee participation. Mario Bermudez with Maxim Crane Works is back every year to present on basic crane safety awareness. When he comes out, he brings the Expo crane icon and keeps it on display for the duration of the event. It wouldn’t be an Expo without the crane… The Lock-out Tag-out session has drawn packed classes along with any topic relative to Heat Illness and Fall Protection. Surprisingly, after several years of Andy Bull’s ladder safety session, this workshop has an amazing draw. Who would have thought that sessions on ladder safety would be of such high interest, but it does and our registration numbers prove it.

Expo trainers contribute their time and expertise and present at this event as a way of giving back to the community – all of these trainers are to be commended for their unyielding support and presence at this event. Because of this, the Expo is able to retains it’s low cost in registration fees, which are way below industry standards, but the quality and caliber of sessions have never been compromised. The Expo can easily boast that it has the industry’s best trainers in its fold.

The exhibitor community is another huge spoke in the wheel of success, and without their participation as vendors at the trade show, how could the Expo justify maintaining an affordable education platform? Everyone should have equal access to safety training and compliance sessions. Expo’s suppliers represent companies from all around the Greater Sacramento Region with a countless number of products and services available – even in the toughest of economic challenges, they are present to exhibit and do business with Expo attendees.

Expo sponsors are those contributing entities that truly make this event happen. Sponsorship in hard and soft dollars is the paint brush that sets the scene for this unique and special industry education event. This Expo is fortunate to have a foundation made up of companies that have a passion for safety training and for doing the right thing. For the 2011 Safety Expo and past years companies and organizations such as the Golden State Builders Exchanges; Roebbelen Construction; California Employers Association; McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.; Valley Contractors Exchange; Builders Exchange of Alameda County; Walter & Prince, LLP; DPR Construction; State Fund; Sacramento Works and myriad of other stakeholders have come to the table and financially backed this event. Even now in the throws of the present economy, these companies epitomize whats right with their working culture and the simple belief in this program. Presenters, exhibitors and sponsors make-up the three vital cogs in the wheel so crucial in achieving a much-needed and important event so that many more are able to benefit from Expo’s training curriculum.